Pima County Corrections Officers Charged with Computer Tampering

(Phoenix, Ariz. – October 9, 2008) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced that Sameer Ibrahim Qasem, 39, of Tucson, was charged with 26 counts of computer tampering, and Keith Anthony Doty, 22, of Tucson, was charged with eight counts of computer tampering, all Class 6 felonies.

Between March 2007 and May 2008, Doty and Qasem, both Pima County Sheriff’s Department Corrections Officers, allegedly accessed a Pima County Sheriff’s Department database for purposes outside of their official law enforcement responsibilities.

Sameer Qasem’s brother, Jameel Ibrahim Qasem, 36, of Tucson, was charged with two counts of forgery and two counts of fraudulent schemes and practices. The charges, all felonies, relate to his alleged procurement and possession of two fraudulent Arizona driver’s licenses and two fraudulent Social Security cards. According to court documents, allegations against Jameel Ibrahim arose during the investigation of Sameer Qasem and Doty.

All three defendants were charged by direct complaint in Pima County Justice Courts on Monday and arrested by FBI agents in Tucson earlier today. The defendants are currently in custody.

This case is the result of an internal investigation by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, which was turned over to the FBI. Assistant Attorney General John Evans is prosecuting this case.

Copies of the charging documents are available on the Attorney General’s Web site, www.azag.gov . For more information, contact Anne Hilby at (602) 542-8019.